Picture Perfect

Isibindi’s Rhino Ridge Safari is a 4-star private lodge, situated within a private concession within Africa’s oldest game reserve, Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park in northern KwaZulu-Natal. It first opened its doors in 2015 and since then the amazing staff, all members of the local community, have done an excellent job of ensuring that all guests who pass through their doors have an unforgettable and memorable stay.

As we completed check-in formalities, our kids whizzed around the reception areas, mobile phones in hand, in video mode, intent on capturing every aspect of their stay so that they could share it with their friends once back home. Cell phone signal is intermittent at the lodge, which as parents we were incredibly grateful for because it meant a certain degree of disconnect from modern day technology could be attained, making way instead for the quality family time that can so easily get lost in the fast-paced lives we all lead today.

Luxurious Family Suites

On the previous occasions we had visited Rhino Ridge we had stayed in one of the luxurious Bush Villas. Each of the Bush Villas boasts cinematic picture windows and glass sliding doors providing guests with breathtaking views of the park. Deck chairs, on your own private deck, entice you to sit back and take a moment just to enjoy the sheer beauty of your surrounds.

King-sized beds are draped in fresh, crisp white linen and encapsulated by a flowing mosquito net. The luxurious double sided fireplace offers a promise of warmth on a cold winter’s night giving you the option of enjoying its warmth from a comfy couch in the small lounge area or being mesmerised by its flicker while you relax in an indulgent bubble bath, sipping a glass of wine before dinner.

The Family Suites, where we were stay-ing this time, are located on the opposite side of the central reception area, thereby ensuring that guests, staying in the Bush Villas, aren’t unduly disturbed by the noisiness of kids.

The Family Suites are designed to in such a way that each family unit consist of two separate rooms joined by an interleading passage. This design allows parents with small children to keep both bedroom doors open, creating one big living space or as in our case, with us having teenage children who were older, we were still able to enjoy some level of privacy, as were the kids, by being able to close the bedroom doors, in essence creating two separate living spaces if required.